Even before his storming Normandy time trial, stage six of the Tour de France was always going to be about Kévin Vauquelin.
That's because the race started in his hometown of Bayeux. Home to the tapestry, and now also the latest homegrown star of the Tour.
His stage 2 win at the 2024 race for sure put him on the map, gave him a level of name recognition, a real reason for Arkéa-Samsic to be here from a racing perspective, but top 10s on the punchy second and fourth stages gave way to an unexpected fifth place in the stage 5 time trial, which elevated him to 3rd overall. Cue: the French public falling in love with a rider who has turned up to this Tour to visibly race his heart out.
“I don’t even have the words,” he said yesterday, post-TT. “All those supporters, all that support … I’m over the moon. I think it’s one of my best time trials ever. I feel like crying.” That's literally all it takes. A bit of willing, an ability to show your emotion to your compatriots. You don't even need to win, just try to. In fact, the French often prefer it if you fall just short.
Kit Nicholson
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